On June 7th, we stepped into the world of Achille Castiglioni, renowned designer, professor, and creative genius. His office was converted into a museum, and now houses his archive of prototypes, products, and drawings. A knowledgable guide took us through his office telling us stories about Achille and his personal philosophy. We later found out that our guide was in fact his daughter, Giovanna! Everywhere we turned, there were his favourite objects, filled with his personality. They encourage visitors to be ever curious, following the advice he gave his students years ago. We weren't allowed to take pictures, so if you ever travel to Milan, be sure to visit his studio!
What struck me most was his practical approach to projects. As we were walking through his library, looking at his workshop, and sitting in his conference room, every object had its own story and purpose. Giovanna told us so many interesting stories. For example, my favourite one was the reason he created the Gibigiana adjustable table lamp - because he didn't want his late night reading to disturb his family. This light was innovative in that it used the reflective properties of a mirror built into the top, and was easily adjustable.
He was also very humorous in his designs, and created a stepped furniture piece called Joy for Giovanna. It allowed her to sit on a lower step, and use a higher step as a table. It also allowed her to have conversations eye to eye with her father even as a small child, with him on the lower step, and her on the higher one. Like many other projects, this one flourished from a simple story into a product that became mass produced. He further developed Joy in that the number of steps can be modified.
I could go on and on about his creations, but to get an in depth look into his designs, you can check out his website: http://www.achillecastiglioni.it. Castiglioni was an inspirational designer, using simple and creative ideas to find solutions to every day problems.
Keywords: innovative, creative, iconic, historic, fun, emotional
Lindsay, Michelle, Alan
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